


Sometimes I Wanna Slap You (In Your Whole Face)

by withmarkers



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Idiots in Love, M/M, Pack Feels, Scott knows everything, Theo hates feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 06:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12184413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withmarkers/pseuds/withmarkers
Summary: This whole altruism thing is a pain in the ass.[My idea of a post 6.19 fix-it fic.]





	Sometimes I Wanna Slap You (In Your Whole Face)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from P!nk's True Love, because it's basically their theme song.

Everything is quiet. Eerily so.

 

It reminds Theo of the aftermath of the Wild Hunt, the creepy, horror-movie tone of it. Except it’s not, not this time. It’s not empty cars and silent streets. It’s not forgotten memories and nagging pulls in your brain pulling you back to anything.

 

This is different.

 

This is too many crumpled bodies on the ground. Too many tear-streaked faces on ones still standing. It’s smoke and fire and ash and pain.

 

He feels sick.

 

His body is sore in more places than not. A broken rib here, a gunshot wound there, remnants of wolfsbane in his system making him feel sluggish and irritable. Various cuts and bruises and burns cover the rest of his body. The healing process is slow. Understandably. There’s a lot of ground to cover.

 

But he’s alive.

 

It feels… Not quite real, honestly. That he’s managed to live through all this, doing what he’s done. What he hasn’t. He doesn’t deserve to be here, is the thing. Maybe that’s the part that’s slowing him down, knowing he’ll never feel truly redeemed. There’s no hope for him.

 

It makes him want to close his eyes and lay down for a very long time.

 

He has no idea how long he’s been standing there, claws still out, breathing hard, back to back with _Scott_ _McCall_ after holding their ground against a group of Monroe’s older, most experienced hunters. There’s spots dancing before his eyes. That can’t be a good thing, except… One light glints differently than the others, a glint in his peripheral vision that has him twisting abruptly with a snarl. His body moves faster than his mind can process, knocking Scott to the ground as he yells, “Get down!”

 

The words have barely left his lips before the arrow slams into him. Fuck, that hurts.

 

It takes less than a second for him to realize that the arrow’s been laced with something, probably wolfsbane. Because his whole body lights up with a whole new kind of pain, worse, and for a long, long minute, Theo is sure he’s going to die. This whole altruism thing is a pain in the ass.

 

It’s the last thought that crosses his mind before he passes out.

 

\---

 

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

 

No, fuck. No. He does not want to be awake. He wants to be unconscious again in the peaceful blackness, where nothing hurts and –

 

There’s an IV in his arm. He’s definitely in a hospital, he can tell by the scent. It’s… clean. Sterile. Cold. Okay, well that’s not horrible. At least he isn’t lying mostly-dead in a ditch somewhere.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

It also smells like Scott. That’s great. Wonderful.

 

Opening his eyes feels like too much effort. Theo groans instead.

 

“I know you’re awake.” Scott sounds amused, with an undercurrent of worry. “Don’t bother pretending you’re not.” He pauses, then adds, “Theo… You’re safe here. It’s over. The war is over.”

 

It’s cute that big, not-really-bad Alpha Scott McCall is here to reassure him.

 

“Wh -- what are you doing here?” He mutters, prying his eyes open. It looks like Scott’s the only one in the room, sprawled in a chair by the door with his elbows braced on his knees. He looks far too knowing. It makes Theo uncomfortable. He reaches out with his hearing, but doesn’t sense any other of Scott’s pack members nearby. Maybe they’re with someone else. With Gerard and Monroe’s army, someone else was bound to get hurt. Maybe Stiles. Or Derek.

 

Or Liam.

 

The thought makes him tense. If Liam is hurt...

 

But Scott wouldn’t be here if that was the case. Theo knows he’s not exactly at the top of the McCall priority list.

 

“I’m here because you saved my life,” Scott says. “I returned the favor." He pauses. "You were in pretty bad shape, Theo. It’s been almost three days since we brought you here.”

 

Three days? Christ. No wonder he feels like death warmed over.

 

Theo fumbles for the button on the remote next to him that will allow him to sit up. The bed buzzes obnoxiously as he slowly inclines. “Your pack would have had my head on a stake if I’d let you die. I’d like to live.”

 

Scott stares at him with dark eyes, unblinking. “You’re not still in Beacon Hills for me, are you? Not anymore.”

 

Fuck. He’s been awake for two whole minutes and Scott’s trying to talk about _feelings_. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Scott gives a half smile, telling him wordlessly that he knows Theo’s lying. “I’m thinking it has something to do with Liam yelling at your barely-conscious body two days ago that if you died, he was going to bring you back a second time just to kick your ass.”

 

An amused huff escapes his lips without his permission. “Yeah, that sounds like Liam.” He tips his head back, trying to ignore the feeling in his gut. It’s no use trying to hide from Scott, but that doesn’t mean Theo’s going to make it easy on him. Nosy alpha.

 

“Gerard and Monroe?” He asks.

 

Scott raises an eyebrow, but allows him to change the subject. “Gerard is dead.” To his credit, he actually looks remorseful about it. Theo decides not to ask. “Monroe’s going away for a long, long time.”

 

“Good.” The word comes out vehemently. “I was getting really sick of that bitch.”

 

Scott’s phone buzzes and he fishes it out of his pocket. “You up for some visitors?”

 

Visitors? Everyone still hates him. Who the hell would want to come and see him?

 

“Thanks,” Theo says a little sarcastically, “But I could do without your girlfriend’s scowling a little while longer. Pass.”

 

“I told Liam you were awake,” Scott tells him in a tone suggesting that he thinks Theo’s an idiot. “He’s on his way.” He pointedly ignores the comment about Malia.

 

That gut-twisting feeling is back. “I don’t want him here.”

 

At that, Scott outright chuckles. “You think I can stop him?”

 

Theo shifts in the bed and pain rips through his side. Suddenly he’s not in the hospital anymore, he’s --

 

_Lying on the ground, gasping, choking around the blood in his mouth. It’s freezing and dark, but there’s a warmth against his side. His eyes fall shut. Someone is chanting, “Theo, stay awake. Theo. Theo, open your eyes. Goddamnit, Theo, open your eyes!”_

 

_He doesn’t want to open his eyes. It fucking hurts._

 

_“Theo.”_

 

_A new voice, calmer, lower, steadier. McCall. “You’re hurt. We’re gonna get you to a hospital, but you need to start healing.”_

 

_“Can’t,” he manages. “Hurts.”_

 

_“You can do it. Focus.”_

 

_But his vision is greying around the edges, and he knows. It won’t work this time._

 

_“Maybe we should,” a voice fades out, and he misses a few words, “.... might help.”_

 

_“It’s not worth it. He needs to-”_

 

 _Through the blurriness, Liam’s face appears above him. He looks furious. As Theo watches, his eyes go yellow and his fangs slide out, and he leans closer, yelling, “If you die, Theo Raeken, I swear to god I’ll bring you back_ again _just to beat the shit out of you!’_

 

_And then Liam breaks his arm._

 

“Theo!”

 

Theo jerks back to the present, breathing hard. Scott’s gripping his arm tightly, perched on the side of Theo’s bed.

 

“He broke my arm,” Theo says, looking down to where Scott’s fingers are in a viselike grip on his wrist. His side is throbbing.

 

Guiltily, Scott lets go. “Yeah. I told him not to. I didn’t want him to make it worse.”

 

“But it worked.”

 

Scott nods. “It worked.”

 

Theo lets his head fall back onto the pillow. “Your little beta is a pain in the ass,” he complains. “He doesn’t take orders, he’s reckless, he has a hair-trigger temper, and he’s constantly getting himself into trouble.”

 

“He cares about you.”

 

Theo sighs and says nothing.

 

“And from what I’ve heard, you’ve been responsible for getting him _out_ of trouble a lot lately,” Scott continues. He has this annoying habit of ignoring Theo and steering the conversation where he wants it to go.

 

So Theo lifts his head and says, “Like I said. I don’t need your pack after me for letting him die.” He forces himself to keep an even tone, his heart rate steady. “I’d really prefer to live through this and get the hell out of Beacon Hills.”

 

“It  _is_ Liam, isn’t it?” Scott asks him, though he phrases it like a statement. “Liam’s the reason you’re still here. You're protecting him. That’s why you kept him from killing Gabe, and Nolan. You care about him, too.”

 

Fucking McCall.

 

“What about it,” Theo snaps through gritted teeth. “I stopped him from making some terrible life decisions.”

 

Scott just smiles at him. “That’s what pack does. They take care of each other.”

 

Theo stares, pulse kicking up a notch. “Scott, I’m-”

 

The door opens. It’s Liam.

 

“That didn’t take long,” Scott remarks mildly, breaking eye contact, and Theo thinks, amused, that he sounds a lot like Dr. Deaton when he tries to be objective and not judge them for all their questions.

 

Liam says, “I was bringing food for my step-dad,” and he’s telling the truth, but he doesn’t look Scott in the eye.

 

Scott stands. “Time for me to check on Stiles. His foot is broken and he’s demanding a cheeseburger,” he says, clearly for Theo’s benefit since Liam doesn’t look surprised at the news. “I’ll see you later, Theo.” He smiles again, and the words sound like a promise. A welcome.

 

Unable to do much more than nod, Theo lifts his hand in an awkward wave and watches Scott leave, squeezing Liam’s shoulder as he passes through the doorway.

 

The room is silent for a moment. Two. Three.

 

Theo swallows, throat working against the tightness in his chest. “Jesus, Liam, are you going to sit down or just lurk in the door? Or are you here to punch me again?”

 

“Shut up, Theo,” Liam says without heat. He takes a step closer and the door swings shut behind him. He falls silent, but a second later he blurts out, “What did Scott mean, he’ll see you later?”

 

Theo shrugs. “I don’t know.”

 

“It sounded… It sounded like he wanted you to stick around.” Liam’s gaze flits around the room, fingers tap-tap-tapping on his thigh. He’s nervous.

 

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. He didn’t exactly say. Whatever.”

 

Liam frowns at him. “Don’t do that. I know it matters to you.”

 

“ _I’m not here for Scott, you oblivious fucking moron,_ ” Theo doesn’t yell. _“I’m here because_ you’re _here.”_ He doesn’t say that, either. Scott knows. That’s one more person than Theo wants. Somehow, though, he has a feeling that he won’t say anything.

 

Instead he says, “I’m just trying to stay alive,” and refuses to feel guilty at the hurt on Liam’s face.

 

“But you saved my life. More than once. And Scott’s. Mason’s.” Liam takes another step closer. “Why?”

 

Theo is really damn tired of having this conversation over and over again.

 

“You want us to stay alive, too, don’t you? Because you do care, even though you pretend like you don’t. You don’t want anyone to think you have a heart, but you do. You care about more than just making it through ‘til tomorrow.”

 

“That’s a lot of assumptions for you to be making,” Theo drawls, and Liam glares at him.

 

“But I’m not wrong. You care about them.” Liam squares his shoulders, takes a deep breath. His fists are clenched at his side, his jaw set tightly. He stares Theo right in the eye, and even though Theo can sense he’s about to say something that terrifies him, Liam holds his ground. “And... You care about me.”

 

 _Fuck_.

 

Theo doesn’t say anything, but he knows his own pulse gives him away. He used to be better at controlling himself, damn it. He doesn’t look away from Liam’s face.

 

Liam takes two more steps closer. “I’m right, aren’t I?” His voice wavers a little, but he doesn’t break eye contact. “Is it because I saved you? From hell? Because I brought you back?” He’s standing next to Theo’s bed, now. “Because I’m the only one that fought for you, that gave you a chance? Because I trust you?”

 

Yes. No. All of the above.

 

“It’s not just you, you know.” Finally, Liam looks away, eyes dropping to the sheets that have fallen down around Theo’s waist.

 

“If I died, you’d bring me back a second time just to kick my ass?” Theo snarks, and a wave of relief crashes through him when Liam relaxes, smiles a little.

 

“Yeah. Need you to stop me from killing people.” He also sounds relieved, no longer bearing the full weight of the conversation. “That’s your job.”

 

“To keep you alive? Or to kill people?”

 

Startled, Liam blinks at him. “To be my anchor.”

 

And.

 

It’s not like Theo didn’t have a feeling about it, but hearing Liam speak the words out loud makes his stomach lurch. He shifts position again, sitting all the way up this time. “That’s all, then?”

 

Liam scowls. “No, you jackass. You need to be here because I _like_ you.”

 

Theo’s heart is hammering inside his chest. “You like me, huh?” He has to force the words out, tongue thick and clumsy inside his mouth. “You want to be my boyfriend, Liam? Want to hold hands and go to the movies?”

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Liam snaps, but his eyes are warm. He sits down on the edge of the bed. “God, I want to punch you in the face.”

 

“Can’t hit the guy in a hospital bed,” Theo points out.

 

“Don’t test me, Raeken.”

 

“You’re a horrible flirt, Dunbar.”

 

Liam grins a little and leans in. “But you _like_ me.”

 

“You’re an annoying pain in the ass,” Theo tells him. “You’re cocky, you’re impulsive, you’re a tiny uncontrollable ball of rage-”

 

Liam drags him in with a hand fisted in the front of Theo’s hospital gown. “And?”

 

“And I hate you,” Theo finishes, smirking.

 

“Sure you do,” Liam says, and kisses him.

**Author's Note:**

> Come follow me on tumblr and shriek about Liam and Theo with me!


End file.
